If you’re like me, this whole “living green” business is really expensive. I know it’s worth it in the kill, preserving the Earth for future generations, but I’m not made of money, and have very little to spare. Here are some ideas to lessen your guilt factor about not being able to afford a solar powered house and an electric car:
1. Take the bus. Seriously, it’s cheaper than gas, insurance, and car payments. Minneapolis has one of the better public transportation systems. You can purchase a reloadable bus pass online for as little as $10 that is also good for the light rail system (great for trips to the airport or the Mall of America) as well as multiple fares. Take advantage of the public transportation methods your taxes are paying for. Another budget-friendly option for suburbanites working in the city is www.erideshare.com. It’s basically a Park-and-Ride system for carpoolers, which can cut down on gas emissions immensely.
2. Use cloth grocery bags. Or at least use paper ones and recycle them as your trash bags at home. You’ll be surprised how much plastic you don’t need. When shopping and buying just a few items, re-use shopping bags or go without. Some figures indicate that most plastic shopping bags take between 400 and 1000 years to biodegrade, and are the cause of some 100,000 marine animal deaths per year. (www.natural-environment.com)
3. Use Tupperware instead of Ziploc bags. Make your motto re-use before recycle.
4. Use cloth napkins, not paper ones. Relatively inexpensive, a station of cloth napkins will last you and your family years. Getting rid of one-time-use paper napkins is an easy way to shorten your eco footprint.
5. Don’t buy “cleaning wipes.” This disinfecting throw-away wipes are easily replaced with a sponge and a sink paunchy of anti-bacterial cleaning solution. Personally, I find these wipes just plain indolent.
6. Use energy efficient light bulbs. They last up to 10 times longer than shining bulbs and are about 4 times more efficient, and if you net them on sale are the same price as the old ones.
7. Recycle- everything. Places are now taking batteries, old appliances, tvs, clothes, rubber, pretty distinguished anything you’d throw on the curb. Just a quick google and bus ride to accomplish sure irregular items and appliances are re-used and recycled properly. A extraordinary website has sprung into popularity called www.freecycle.com, a place where you list everything you don’t need anymore for others to select up and re-use. It’s free, and has everything from old plastic bottles to household furniture. It’s like Craigslist, but free.
8. Ban water bottles. Not only is bottled water manufactured with lower regulations than tap water, but the finish on the environment is catastrophic. Nearly 90 percent of water bottles are never recycled, ending up in landfills for hundreds of years before biodegrading. (www.treehugger.com) Tap water is often safer to drink and it’s free. For those of you who just can’t handle the taste, water filtration systems like BRITA are fairly inexpensive to buy.
9. Utilize newspaper to clean glass around the home. This is a trick I learned from a window-cleaner. Windex and newspaper leaves windows streak-free and bright, lessening your paper towel usage.
10. Use less water. Take shorter showers, turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth, and wash dishes by hand instead of using a dishwasher.
While these things may seem like not a ample deal, doing them every day can make a positive impact on our environment. If everybody in the world make a conscious effort to change small habits in their lives, just imagine what a greener world it would be.
Related Posts
Filed under Whole House Replacement Water Filters by on Feb 24th, 2011. 
Too Much Fluoride
Recent articles on the health risks associated with long-term fluoridated water ingestion may have spurred your interest in removal of fluoride from your home water supply. If you live in a community with a fluoridated water supply, you may have personal interests in ingesting less fluoridated water. If the children in your area have dental fluorosis, this is a sign of too much ingestion of fluoride. There are several things you can do in your own home to decrease fluoride intake.
Background on Water Filtration
Most of the water filter systems do seize chlorine and some contaminants. Carbon-based filters such as Brita, Pur and most refrigerator filters do not remove fluoride, but do remove chlorine and contaminants such as lead and arsenic. Boiling water does not remove the fluoride, but instead concentrates the fluoride rather than eliminating it. Freezing water does not effect the removal of fluoride.
Rep out if the filter removes fluoride and what percentage is removed. NSF is a third party non-profit testing agency that rates water filters for the past 50 years. Look if the water filter is NSF certified. Water filtration systems require installation in the home in several different ways: on the cabinet-top, under the kitchen sink, in the refrigerator water line with an ice maker, or a whole house filtration system. These products can range in cost from $100 to several thousand dollars.
Activated alumina filter media, bone char carbon, and reverse osmosis systems are the three EPA recommended methods for removing fluoride from drinking water. The activated alumina filter and reverse osmosis are available for in home use and are the most effective ways to remove fluoride in households. Bone char carbon only removes about 50-60% of fluoride from treated water and is used in some industrial systems for fluoride removal.
Distillation also removes fluoride from water. However, distilled water does not imply that a product is valid for drinking water, as other impurities may quiet be reveal in the water with this process.
In-Home Water Purification to remove Fluoride
Consumer Reports (CR) and Consumers Digest Magazine are some of the best online and publication resources for the best water purifier reviews. You may also need to talk with a water filtration system specialist to find the best model to remove fluoride for your budget.
A full cartridge of 100% activated alumina is needed to allow proper contact time for effective fluoride removal! Activated alumina is aluminum oxide. (This is not aluminum, which is a more highly-processed metal made from activated alumina.) Activated alumina has a very high surface-area-to-weight ratio, with a lot of tunnel-like pores that race all through it. This means that there is a lot of surface spot against which the water interacts, thereby removing fluoride (and arsenic). Through the attraction of the metals, 90% to 98% of fluoride (and arsenic) is normally removed. The fluoride coats the surface of the alumina over time and eventually the cartridge needs to be replaced (usually once a year for a family of four). The best rated models have two or more cartridges: one or more for effective fluoride removal and one or more for the removal of other contaminants as chlorine, arsenic, etc. Another consideration is checking the water flow rate for optimal fluoride removal.
Faucet mounted water filters install directly on the kitchen water faucet and provides a button or lever to switch between filtered and unfiltered water. These are only one cartridge filters. Some remove fluoride, but this type is not the best product on the market. CR’s best buy for a faucet mounted water filter is the Culligan FM-15, but it does not remove fluoride.
The countertop water filter system allows for large volumes of filtered water, but also requires room for the unit on the counter. CR recommends The Crystal Quest Countertop Replaceable Triple Multi PLUS Water Filter System CQE-CT-00109 which removes fluoride. The tag on eBay starts at $125. Placement and size consideration is necessary as this model is the size of a bread-maker. This method is one of the best values and generous quality for fluoride removal.
CR reported that refrigerator in line filters do not work well at removing impurities. But CR did recommend using an under-sink system with a diversion that will feed the kitchen sink and the refrigerator as well. These install under the kitchen sink and connect to the water line allowing for large volumes of water without modifying the faucet. CR recommended three models but none of these removed fluoride including Culligan Preferred Series 350 Drinking Water System, the Everpure H-300 Water Filtration System EV9270-70 and the Everpure H-1200 Water Filtration System EV9282-00. The under the sink system for fluoride removal should have at least 3 cartridges to remove bacteria, fluoride and other contaminants. These models initiate at $150. A professional may be needed to install the more complicated under the sink systems. The refrigerator filter needs to be changed frequently even if there is an additional external filter. There are some brands of in-line fluoride removal filters for use in refrigerators with ice-makers or water through the door. These models start at $100.
All reverse osmosis water filtration systems will remove fluoride. For spend in the home, this is the most expensive design to remover fluoride and contaminants from household water. The disadvantage is that several gallons of water are wasted in purifying each gallon of water for drinking with some brands. Some of the highest rated systems are Pentek RO-3500 Reverse Osmosis System and the WaterFilters.Salvage RO5-WF 5 Stage Reverse Osmosis Systems. These systems will cost several thousand dollars to install.
Bottled Drinking Water and Beverages
Unless the bottled water is distilled or reverse-osmosis is used to purify the water, the water is probably from a fluoridated public water supply. Some companies merely bottle tap water. On a commercial scale, reverse-osmosis is used by several bottled water companies to remove fluoride and other impurities and this is listed on the bottle tag. If fluoride is show, the amount will be listed. Choose brands that clearly indicate a fluoride content of 0.2 ppm (parts per million) or less.
Here’s a sampling of bottled water brands that are fluoride-free: Apani Purifie, Aqua Panna, Arrowhead, Calistoga Spring, Crystal Geyser, Deer Park North, Deer Park South, Evian, Big Contain, Hinkley & Schmidt, Ice Mountain Keeper Springs, Loon Country Natural Spring, NARA International Himalayan Spring Ozarka, Penta, Perrier, Poland Spring Snow Valley Mountain and Sparkletts.
Other Steps to Gash Fluoride
For adults wanting to decrease fluoride levels in the body, avoid drinking black or red teas as these tea leaves naturally contain high amounts of fluorine. Avoid using chewing tobacco. Avoid long term employ of medications that believe fluorine. Some antidepressants and medications for osteoporosis contain fluorine.
Non-Fluoridated Toothpastes
If dental fluorosis with children’s teeth is happening in your community, there are other ways to decrease fluoride exposure in addition to water filtration. The easiest way is to avoid fluoride supplements and fluoride dental rinses, and switch to non-fluoridated toothpaste.
For small children, consider Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry toothpaste. Silly Strawberry is a natural fluoride free toothpaste for children with savory real fruit flavors to appeal to children’s taste. Another choice is Melaleuca brand Koala Pals Training Tooth Gel. This non-fluoride, sugar-free formula tastes like apples and includes baking soda. It’s sweetened with xylitol, a natural sweetener derived from fruit and berries that’s shown to not promote tooth decay.
There are a variety of adult non-fluoridated toothpastes available. Tom’s of Maine also has adult toothpastes that are fluoride free. I am currently using Jason’s Healthy Mouth tag of non-fluoridated toothpaste with cinnamon oil flavoring and tea tree oil. Some people use hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to brush their teeth.
Summary
All of the suggestions in this article will reduce fluoride for everyone in your household.
What brand of fluoride water purifier do you prefer for your home? Which brands of non-fluoridated toothpastes do you like the best? Let me know in the comments share below!
Resources:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5890058/fluoridated_water_is_risky_for_your.html? cat=5
http://www.pure-earth.com/fluoride-water-filters.htm
http://www.filterwater.com/p-105-undersink-fluoride-filter-triple.aspx
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/a/removefluoride.htm
http://www.filterwater.com/s-4-fluoride-filters.aspx
http://www.bizrate.com/water-filters/water-filters-fluoride-removal/
http://www.blog.waterfilters.net/consumer-reports-water-filters-ratings/666
http://www.allwaterpurification.com/water-purifier-reviews.html
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/56/find-the-best-filter-for-your-tap-water.html
http://www.nofluoride.com/betternutrition_article.cfm
http://www.nextag.com/non-fluoride-toothpaste/sho
Related Posts
Filed under Ge Whole House Water Filters by on Jan 30th, 2011.
The Essick Air 697-500 is a whole house humidifier. It is designed for use in homes up to 2,500 square feet. You can regain this model for an average price of $200. Support reading to learn about some of the features that it offers.
Operation
The Essick Air 697-500 whole house humidifier offers multiple fan speeds. There is also a peaceful setting which comes in handy for nighttime operation. The machine also has an integrated humidistat. This allows you to set your desired humidity level and have the machine cycle on and off in order to maintain it.
Water
The Essick Air 697-500 can output up to 12 gallons of moisture per day. The machine is fitted with two 2.75-gallon water bottles. The bottles have a refill hose so that they’re easy to fill at the sink. The machine also offers an indicator light so you always know when it’s time to refill.
Wick
The Essick Air 697-500 whole house humidifier incorporates a high-output evaporative wick. It helps filter mineral deposits. You can easily remove the wick whenever it needs replacing.
Filtration
The unit also offers a two-stage filtration system. This system consists of an electrostatic and carbon filter. It traps dust, pollen, smoke, and other particles from the air.
Design
The Essick Air 697-500 whole house humidifier is fitted with caster wheels for easy transport from room-to-room. The exterior has a fake cherry wood finish to blend into your room decor.
The Essick Air 697-500 whole house humidifier is ideal for homes up to 2,500 square feet. The unit can output up to 12 gallons of moisture per day. The two 2.75-gallon water bottles refill easily at the sink thanks to the refill hose. Also, the two-stage filtration system, which uses an electrostatic and carbon filter, traps particles from the air.
Related Posts
Filed under Whole House Replacement Water Filters by on Aug 20th, 2010.